Act 1 Scene 1 Flashcards
What setting is Faustus seen in?
He is alone in his study, establishing him as an educated and intellectual character.
What does Faustus question in his soliloquy?
He weighs up the merits and limitations of philosophy, law, medicine and divinity.
How does Faustus speak in his first soliloquy?
He speaks with eloquence, and structured and controlled syntax as he 1. lists figureheads 2. speaks in Latin 3. lists limitations of subject - structural parallel to his final soliloquy in 5:2
What device is used in ‘end’ ‘chiefest end?’ ‘attained the end’?
Epiphora emphasises Faustus’ frustration with the limitations of human knowledge
What can be inferred about Faustus when he names ‘Aristotle’ ‘Galen’ ‘Justinian’ and the ‘Church’?
Presents him as rejecting traditional ways of thinking, whereby subjects have leading subjects - highlights his hubris
Where does Faustus misquote the bible?
‘Stipendium, etc.’ - chooses not to complete sentence (eternal bliss) and ‘If we say that we have no sin’ - misses out ‘forgive us of our sin’ - blasphemous language, misquotes as evidence of self-interest and suit his own ends - overreaching or foolish?
What was the Renaissance?
It was the re-birth of intellectual discovery, where the disciplines of previous Medieval era were being questioned.
What technique is used in ‘necromantic books are heavenly’
Irony/antithesis - emphasis Faustus’ desire to gain omnipotence
What technique is used in ‘O, what a world of profit and delight,/ Of power, of honour, of omnipotence’
Asyndetic listing - emphasises the extent of Faustus’ superficial desires, his self interest
What is significant about Faustus’ soliloquy last 2 lines ending in ‘god’ and ‘deity’?
Further reinforces that being omnipotent is Faustus’ end goal - wants to exceed the realms of human knowledge.
Who was Dr Dee?
Some suggest that Faustus is based on Dr Dee. He was a well respected scholar, who served as a royal advisor and court astronomer to Eliz I. He later left and went on a quest for more powerful knowledge in the realms of magic and the supernatural.
What stock characters are introduced during this scene?
The Good and Evil Angels - conventions of a morality play - used to display Faustus’ inner conflict
What device is used in ‘heap God’s heavy wrath upon thy head’ ?
Personification to emphasis the consequence of overreaching, highlights the physical power of disobeying God
What device is used in ‘Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky’?
Classical allusion (King of Gods) - used to manipulate Faustus’ hamartia of hubris and gluttonous desire for knowledge and omnipotence
What can be inferred through ‘How I am glutted with conceit of this!’?
Faustus’ hamartia leads to his temptation to commit sin and his gluttony for omnipotence
